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Kadena junior point guard Britney Wise, left, has her path to the basket blocked by Kubasaki junior guard Bri Davis during Tuesday’s Okinawa Activities Council girls basketball game at Kadena High School, Kadena Air Base, Okinawa.

Kadena junior point guard Britney Wise, left, has her path to the basket blocked by Kubasaki junior guard Bri Davis during Tuesday’s Okinawa Activities Council girls basketball game at Kadena High School, Kadena Air Base, Okinawa. (Dave Ornauer/S&S)

KADENA AIR BASE, Okinawa — Britney Wise continues to help Kadena’s girls basketball team stay in the win column. The question, though, is whether the junior point guard will be around to help the Panthers try for a Far East Class AA Tournament title three-peat.

Her father, Bryant, recently retired as master sergeant assigned to Kadena’s 961st Airborne Air Control Squadron, is due to leave Okinawa for Idaho next week. The rest of the Wise family, including Britney, leaves on the 26th.

"You got a job for me?" Bryant asked — half-jokingly — after Wise dished out five assists Tuesday as the Panthers remained unbeaten in three games with Kubasaki, beating the Dragons 42-26 at the Panther Pit.

At the same time he’s preparing for his new job at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho, Bryant, 48, a Michigan native, says he’s feverishly seeking employment on the island that would keep Wise at Kadena High until she graduates.

"I’d really be sad" if she had to leave, said Britney, who’s been with the team for three seasons. "I was really looking forward to Far East. I know they can stick it out themselves. But I’d rather be here with them."

Just in case Wise can’t stay, Kadena coach Dewayne Piggé has tried different point guards and lineup combinations to prepare for life without Britney.

Wise is the consummate floor general, Piggé said. "She sees the floor. She makes everything click at the right time. She’s a leader," Piggé said.

Aja’ Walker and Javinia Riddick netted 10 points for the Panthers. Kubasaki’s Gabby Falco topped all scorers with 15 points, 10 in the first period. Kadena improved to 7-5; Kubasaki remained winless in 12 games.

Improved foul shooting, Paranal’s inside play power Panthers boys past Kubasaki

Poor foul shooting served as a root cause of Kadena’s boys’ five losses in 18 games this season. An improvement in that column gave the Panthers a boost in their latest go-round with Kubasaki.

Kevin Paranal had 27 points and 14 rebounds, going 9-for-9 from the foul line, and Taiyo Robertson poured in 24 points, shooting 6-for-6 at the line, as the Panthers won a 79-57 rout of the Dragons (4-14). The Panthers lead the season series 3-0.

"The foul shooting was phenomenal tonight," Kadena coach Robert Bliss said, adding that the Panthers were able to spread the floor and create openings for Paranal’s bruising inside game and for Robertson to get hot from the perimeter. "They both played magnificently," Bliss said.

Yokota, Zama girls survive close calls against international opponents

Erika Ettl must feel as if she’s playing basketball with a blanket wrapped around her. For the second straight game, Yokota’s freshman point guard found herself covered by a box-and-one defense by the opposing team.

"They had somebody draped all over her," coach Ric Cabral said after Yokota got 11 points each from Desiree’ Kirkwood and Anya Brown to eke out a 45-42 home victory over Christian Academy In Japan.

Yokota (11-2 overall, 6-2 league) stayed a half-game behind Zama American (11-3, 7-2) for the Kanto Plain Association of Secondary Schools lead.

Despite senior Elizabeth Powell seeing limited action due to illness, Zama got its first victory over International School of the Sacred Heart since the 2005-06 season. The Trojans beat the Symbas 38-33 behind seven points each from Katie Scully, Crystal Valentine and Aaliyah Daniels.

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Dave Ornauer has been employed by or assigned to Stars and Stripes Pacific almost continuously since March 5, 1981. He covers interservice and high school sports at DODEA-Pacific schools and manages the Pacific Storm Tracker.

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